Radiation Therapist Reflection

The first week was defiantly a challenge for me because I felt like I was lost, both literally and mentally, for much of the week. Overall I think I learned a lot, but it was a little frustrating because most of what I learned had nothing to do with actually being a radiation therapist. I know it was only the first week, but I thought I would learn more. Coming into this week I thought I would be doing more with the therapists, but I spent most my week with the nurses and doctors. I learned a lot from them about what happens throughout the rest of the department, and I think what I learned really helped give me a good background on what patients all go through. It was a little intimidating asking the nurses and doctors if I could follow them around, but they were all very nice and …show more content…
I knew with radiation to the head and neck there can be some terrible side effects, and I got to see that first hand. One patient in particular really had terrible side effects like burning in his mouth, loss of taste, not being hungry, and weight loss. During his visit, he talked about how he would dream of tasting food again, and he also said when he sees people eating he knows they are taking the ability to eat and taste for granted. That doctors visit was probably the most influential thing that I saw this week because I was able to see firsthand how destructive radiation therapy can be for patients. Overall I am glad I was able to do the clinical aspect of my internship first because moving forward in my internship I will be able understand all the steps the patients went through to get to this point. I also understand a lot more about the side effects they may be experiencing because of my time spent with the nurses and doctors. I know what to look out for and when to contact the nurses, and I will use that information to make better judgement calls in the